Alabama has lost two of three games since beating Georgia and ascending to the No. 1 ranking in the country, but SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum said Saturday all is not lost for Kalen DeBoer.
During Saturday’s edition of SEC Nation live from Tuscaloosa, Finebaum admitted he joined in with many by burying the Crimson Tide’s first-year coach following last week’s loss to Tennessee. However, once he got on the ground on the Alabama campus, he’s back off that somewhat.
“I think (DeBoer) is in an interesting spot and I’ll tell you why,” Finebaum said. “He lost the fan base after the Vanderbilt game, for the moment. But being here is different than watching this from 38,000 feet. I showed up here yesterday with a very negative feeling about this program to every little thing that has gone wrong.
“But seeing DeBoer and talking to his boss (athletics director) Greg Byrne last night, feeling the vibe on this campus — it’s not as bad here as it is there, which gives me a high degree of confidence that Kalen DeBoer can figure this thing out. I feel good about that. … I think the reason he was hired is going to be displayed as we watch him try to bring this program back.”
Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC) hosts Missouri (6-1, 2-1) on Saturday, which fellow SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers noted is an “elimination game” when it comes to the College Football Playoff. The offseason discussion ignored an important facet of the expanded playoff, he said.
“We were fooled when everyone talked about the 12-team playoff to start the season, (regular-season) games aren’t going to matter,” Rodgers said. “This is a college football playoff eliminator game. If Missouri loses, they’re out. Even with two losses, they’re out. Their record is not good enough. Bama — three losses, they’re out.
“So in October, we have a College Football Playoff eliminator game. We’re going to learn a lot about Kalen DeBoer and this team when their backs are up against the wall.”
Alabama-Missouri kicks off at 2:30 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will air live on ABC.
